Cuyuna Regional Medical Center was recently awarded $75,000 through the Minnesota Department of Health’s Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Grant Program to help upgrade its facilities.
The funds will be used this year to install a new chiller plant in CRMC’s HVAC system. The new, energy efficient equipment will provide adequate cooling to the facility for the comfort of patients, staff and residents and help increase energy savings and rebates. The total estimated cost of the project is $810,000 which will include replacing five failing air conditioning units with a new, 300-ton energy efficient chiller.
The current cooling system serving CRMC’s main campus consists of a 333-ton air cooled chiller, piping and pumps and five remote direct expansion condensing units which provide the campus with cool air when needed. The existing units have been in operation since 1999 and 2005, have begun to show their age and failed to cool the building on multiple occasions.
CRMC received another $125,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Health in April 2017 to help replace its aging heating system, another major project estimated to cost a total of $1.5 million. Existing steam boilers and piping were demolished and are being replaced with four high-efficiency hot water boilers new pumps, piping, venting and controls to provide adequate hot water and heat to the facility.
As a community-based, non-profit hospital and health care provider, CRMC’s mission is to improve the health of the community and provide quality health care services for all citizens. The organization invests approximately $3 million per year in capital improvements to ensure its staff can continue to provide compassionate, patient-centered care utilizing the most advanced treatments and technologies available.